Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi: The Word of God
in the Celebration of the Sacraments
Lex orandi, lex credendi has become something
of a tenet of liturgical theology, especially in the
years since the reforms of the Second Vatican
Council. Literally translated, it means “the law
of prayer [is] the law of belief.” This axiom is an
adaptation of words of Prosper of Aquitaine, a
fifth-century Christian writer and a contemporary of St. Augustine. The original version of
the phrase, ut legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi
(“that the law of praying establishes the law of
believing”), highlighted the understanding that
the Church’s teaching (lex credendi) is articulated
and made manifest in the celebration of the
liturgy and prayer (lex orandi).1 We understand
this to mean that prayer and worship is the first
articulation of the faith. The liturgy engages
belief in a way that simply thinking about God or
studying the faith does not naturally do. In other
words, in an act of worship, the faithful are in
dialogue with God and are engaged in an active
and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and
every individual member of the liturgical assembly is connected to one another as members of
the mystical Body of Christ in the Holy Spirit,
as they look together with hope for the salvation
promised in the Kingdom of Heaven. Theology,
christology, ecclesiology, pneumatology, and
eschatology are all expressed in word and deed,
in sign and symbol, in liturgical acts.
The earliest preaching of the Word of God
by the Apostles, the kerygma, was understood
to be manifest in a particular way in the liturgy,
in the celebration of the Eucharist. St. Paul
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. . . .
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
—John 1:1-2, 14
The Prologue of the Gospel according to
John articulates concisely the theology of the
Incarnation: Jesus is one with the Father from
the beginning (true God), and he became flesh
and lived as one of us (true man). The Preface of
the Eucharistic Prayer for Christmas also articulates the mystery of the Incarnation: “In the
wonder of the incarnation, your eternal Word
has brought to the eyes of faith a new and radiant
vision of your glory. In him we see our God made
visible and so are caught up in the love of the
God we cannot see” (Sacramentary, P3). When
the Church encounters Christ in the celebration
of the sacraments, especially in the celebration
of the Eucharist, an “incarnation” takes place; a
“word” becomes “flesh.” And as a particular word
is expressed, an aspect of the faith is articulated
in matter and form. This is the nature of the
Church’s liturgy, in which the faithful encounter
Christ in sacramental signs: tangible expressions
or “incarnations” of the presence of Christ. This
essay explores the place of the Word in the liturgical life of the Church, focusing especially on
two particular aspects: the proclamation and witness of the faith in the liturgical context, and the
use of Scripture in the celebration of the liturgy.
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1
For a more thorough study of Prosper of Aquitaine’s text, see
Kevin Irwin, Context and Text: Method in Liturgical Theology
(Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1994).
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a fourth-century
bishop of Jerusalem, wrote and delivered an
extended catechesis surrounding the Sacraments
of Initiation. Some of the lectures were given
to candidates for Baptism (catechumens) in the
weeks prior to Baptism, while other lectures
were delivered after Baptism. Prior to Baptism,
his instruction focused on the Creed. The postbaptismal catechesis, St. Cyril’s Mystagogical
Catechesis, provided instruction on the nature of
the sacraments themselves. At the beginning of
the first of those lectures, St. Cyril states,
expresses this function of the liturgy: “For as
often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he
comes” (1 Cor 11:26). The Church understands
this close relationship between liturgy and the
faith even today. In the National Directory for
Catechesis (NDC), the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) states that “faith
and worship are as closely related to one another
as they were in the early Church: faith gathers
the community for worship, and worship renews
the faith of the community” (§ 32 [Washington,
DC: USCCB, 2005]).
I long ago desired, true-born and dearly
beloved children of the Church, to discourse
to you concerning these spiritual and heavenly Mysteries; but knowing well, that seeing
is far more persuasive than hearing, I waited
till this season; that finding you more open
to the influence of my words from this your
experience, I might take and lead you to the
brighter and more fragrant meadow of this
present paradise; especially as ye have been
made fit to receive the more sacred Mysteries,
having been counted worthy of divine and
life-giving Baptism. It remaining therefore to
dress for you a board of more perfect instruction, let us now teach you exactly about these
things, that ye may know the deep meaning
to you-ward of what was done on that evening of your baptism. (St. Cyril of Jerusalem,
Mystagogical Catechesis, in St. Cyril of
Jerusalem: Lectures on the Christian Sacraments,
ed. F. L. Cross [Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s
Seminary Press, 1995], § I.1)
The restored catechumenate in the Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) anticipates
an instruction that, “while presenting Catholic
teaching in its entirety also enlightens faith,
directs the heart toward God, fosters participation in the liturgy, inspires apostolic activity,
and nurtures a life completely in accord with
the spirit of Christ” (no. 78 [Washington, DC:
USCCB, 1988]). Thus the goal of the catechumenate is to promote an understanding that the
liturgy and the sacraments catechize not only in
the proclamation of the Word and in preaching, but in the celebration of the rites themselves. The RCIA restored an ancient custom
for sacramental catechesis that, in many places
in the Church today, is somewhat unknown. If
the ancient tradition is followed, catechesis on
the sacraments not only is provided during the
catechumenate but also follows after the celebration of the sacraments as “mystagogical catechesis,” which is the unfolding of the “mysteries”
that have been celebrated. The RCIA explains
that, during the period of mystagogical catechesis, the neophytes (that is, the newly initiated)
are “introduced into a fuller and more effective understanding of the mysteries through the
Gospel message they have learned and above all
through their experience of the sacraments they
have received” (no. 245). This process highlights
the mysteries themselves as a source of proclamation and instruction in the faith.
What St. Cyril demonstrates is that instruction on the sacraments benefits from the perspective of having celebrated them. The grace given in
the sacraments is what enlightens; merely to talk
about them is not sufficient. And although he was
preaching to adults who were newly baptized, St.
Cyril’s method can be applied to the Sacraments
of Initiation celebrated with young people (children of catechetical age and adolescents) and the
broad range of the faithful in ongoing formation
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and catechesis as well. Pope Benedict XVI, in
his 2007 post-synodal apostolic exhortation The
Sacrament of Charity (Sacramentum Caritatis),
explains well the relationship between the sacraments and our understanding of the faith:
the first letter to the Corinthians (11:23-26), and
early hymns of praise such as the christological
hymn in the letter to the Philippians (2:6-11).
Among the many changes brought about
by the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican
Council was the expanded place of the Scriptures
in the liturgy. Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC), the
Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the
Sacred Liturgy, notes specifically the place of the
Scriptures in the Liturgy:
The Church’s faith is essentially a eucharistic faith, and it is especially nourished
at the table of the Eucharist. Faith and the
sacraments are two complementary aspects
of ecclesial life. Awakened by the preaching
of God’s word, faith is nourished and grows
in the grace-filled encounter with the Risen
Lord which takes place in the sacraments:
“faith is expressed in the rite, while the rite
reinforces and strengthens faith.” (no. 6
[Washington, DC: USCCB, 2007])
Sacred scripture is of the greatest importance
in the celebration of the liturgy. For it is
from it that lessons are read and explained
in the homily, and psalms are sung. It is from
the scriptures that the prayers, collects, and
hymns draw their inspiration and their force,
and that actions and signs derive their meaning. Hence in order to achieve the restoration, progress, and adaptation of the sacred
liturgy it is essential to promote that warm
and lively appreciation of sacred scripture
to which the venerable tradition of Eastern
and Western rites gives testimony. (no. 24,
in Vatican Council II: Volume 1: The Conciliar
and Post Conciliar Documents, new rev. ed.,
ed. Austin Flannery [Northport, NY: Costello
Publishing, 1996])
In addition to the rites themselves (lex
orandi), which communicate what the Church
believes (lex credendi), the liturgy also makes
extensive use of the written Word of God in the
Scriptures. Every liturgical rite (including the
celebration of the Mass and the other sacraments,
the Liturgy of the Hours, and other rites of the
Rituale Romanum) includes the proclamation of
one or more biblical readings, especially readings from the Gospels. The liturgical texts themselves—orations, exhortations, and blessings—
draw from the Scriptures, too: particular images,
sayings, and expressions are often quoted directly
from biblical texts. The book of Psalms, the first
“prayer book” of the Church, has always been a
source of the language of liturgical prayer. The
relationship between the liturgy and the written
Word of God does not, however, end here. There
is evidence that some texts of both the Old and
New Testaments were themselves influenced
by liturgical worship. In the Old Testament, for
example, the accounts of the first Passover in the
book of Exodus were first passed down in oral tradition in the ritual celebration of Passover before
being recorded in written form. In the New
Testament, the letters of St. Paul contain expressions that were likely already used in liturgical
prayer, such as the account of the Eucharist in
The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy later
sets forth the goal of the formation of the
Lectionary for Mass: “the treasures of the Bible are
to be opened up more lavishly so that a richer
fare may be provided for the faithful at the table
of God’s word. In this way a more representative
part of the sacred scriptures will be read to the
people in the course of a prescribed number of
years” (SC, no. 51). The result of this decision
was the expansion of the cycle of Scripture readings for Sundays from one year to three years,
as well as the addition of readings from the Old
Testament, so that there are now three Scripture
readings (plus the Responsorial Psalm) at Masses
on Sundays and solemnities.
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The major part of the Liturgy of the Word
in the celebration of the Eucharist (the Mass) is
the proclamation of the Scripture readings. The
homily that follows the readings is meant to open
up the Scriptures and make connections to the
lives of the faithful. The homily is for the “nurturing of the Christian life” (General Instruction
of the Roman Missal [GIRM] [Washington, DC:
USCCB, 2003], no. 65). There is, however, more
to the Liturgy of the Word than proclamation.
The faithful are called to respond to that Word
in the liturgical acts that follow, as they “affirm
their adherence to it by means of the Profession
of Faith. Finally, having been nourished by it,
they pour out their petitions in the Prayer of
the Faithful” (GIRM, no. 55). In these liturgical
actions, the Lord’s healing of Jairus’s daughter
and the woman with a hemorrhage is enacted—
that “word” is “enfleshed”—as the liturgical
assembly confesses faith and finds salvation in it:
“your faith has saved you” (see Mk 5:21-43; Mt
9:18-26; Lk 8:40-56).
Lex orandi, lex credendi expresses concisely
the relationship between the celebration of the
liturgy in worship and the formation (catechesis)
of the faithful. On the one hand, the liturgy proclaims, not only in word but in sign and symbol,
the Word of God. The faithful, in celebrating
the liturgy, profess their faith. Those responsible
for catechesis, therefore, can use the experience
of worship as a starting point for mystagogy, as
the National Directory for Catechesis explains:
“[catechesis] stems from the Liturgy insofar as it
helps people to worship God and to reflect on
their experience of the words, signs, rituals, and
symbols expressed in the Liturgy; to discern the
implications of their participation in the Liturgy;
and to respond to its missionary summons to
bear witness and offer service” (NDC, § 33). On
the other hand, in order for liturgy to be effective as a source of formation, the faithful must
be prepared to encounter Christ in the mysteries and to deepen their own understanding of
that faith. Catechesis should set the stage for that
encounter (see NDC, no. 33). Those responsible
for catechesis, however, should not attempt to
explain everything in such detail that the experience of the mystery itself suffers. Preparation for
the sacraments should be about enabling the faithful to experience the grace of the mysteries being
celebrated. Pope Benedict XVI calls the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, “encounters with
the Risen Lord” (The Sacrament of Charity, no. 6).
Preparation for the sacraments, then, must prepare
candidates to encounter Christ.
The celebration of the rites themselves must
be carried out in such a way as to enable the faithful’s encounter with Christ. How well we prepare
for, enact, and celebrate the rites can contribute
to the experience of the sacred. The sacraments
are not magic; they are meant to be experienced.
As Pope Benedict explains in The Sacrament of
Charity, “‘The best catechesis on the Eucharist
is the Eucharist itself, celebrated well.’ By its
nature, the liturgy can be pedagogically effective
in helping the faithful to enter more deeply into
the mystery being celebrated. That is why, in
the Church’s most ancient tradition, the process
of Christian formation always had an experiential character” (no. 64). The Second Vatican
Council’s call for “full, conscious, and active participation” is primarily about an interior participation in—an encounter with—the mystery being
celebrated (see The Sacrament of Charity, no. 52).
Catechetical formation and preparation should
help one to engage in an interior way, at the level
of the heart and soul.
In the early Church, it was the celebration
of the liturgy and the Church’s prayer that led
to the development of articulated statements
of faith—not the other way around. In light of
that development, it is clear that sacraments celebrated well and experienced profoundly have
the power to enlighten and to teach, to witness
to what the Church professes and believes as we
celebrate Christ and the power of his saving death
and Resurrection in our lives. Those who prepare
for and celebrate the liturgy, lex orandi, as well as
those responsible for catechesis, lex credendi, need
to trust that the sacraments can and will do so:
that the living Word of God will inspire the faithful to more authentic Christian living, lex vivendi.
Article by Fr. Rick Hilgartner
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Excerpts from St. Cyril of Jerusalem’s Lectures on the Christian Sacraments:
The Procatechesis and the Five Mystagogical Catecheses © St. Vladimir’s
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